One Pixel SIM Has Emergency-Only Service While the Other Works

When one subscription works normally and the other has limited service, isolate the failing line before resetting the entire phone. The difference can come from line selection, carrier provisioning, coverage or supported dual-SIM behavior. It does not establish that every antenna or SIM reader is defective.

Define a useful comparison

Note whether the symptom occurs while idle or only during a call on the other line. Record which subscription can call, which can use data and whether the second is enabled. Do not make emergency calls to test registration. If you need urgent help, use available emergency options immediately.

Google documents separate default choices for calls, texts and data, with dual-SIM support varying by Pixel generation and carrier. This guide applies to Pixel controls rather than promising identical behavior across every Android manufacturer's menus.

Isolate the line safely

Open Network & internet → SIMs and identify both subscriptions. Check that the failing one is enabled. Match the label to the provider's account so that later settings changes do not affect the working line by mistake.
Inspect the default calling and data choices. Try a normal call through the intended line while the other is idle. A contact or call preference can select a different number from the one you expected.
Temporarily disable the working subscription using its settings control, without deleting it. Check whether the previously failing line now registers. Re-enable the working line afterward. This compares single-line and dual-line states while retaining the activation credentials.
Ask the failing carrier whether the line is active, permitted on the exact Pixel and covered at your location. If it works alone but not in combination, provide that result and ask about supported simultaneous use. Do not infer a universal eSIM incompatibility from one account.
If a physical SIM is involved, inspect it and its seating only under the device's supported procedure. A damaged card or persistent line-specific error belongs with its issuer. An eSIM has no removable contacts to clean and should not be erased for this comparison.

Interpret the split

Registration only when the other line is disabled points toward a dual-line interaction requiring carrier/device-specific support. Failure even when alone points toward that line's activation, coverage or compatibility. Failure changing with location suggests coverage. These observations guide escalation but do not certify the technical cause by themselves.

Pixel differences

Not every Pixel and carrier combination supports the same physical/eSIM or two-eSIM arrangement. Check the current official dual-SIM page for the exact generation. Avoid applying an older Pixel's limitations to a newer one, or assuming a later feature can be enabled through hidden menus.

Boundaries

Do not clear both profiles, factory-reset or buy a new phone solely from this symptom. Keep the working line available for carrier support. Share identifiers only in authenticated channels and ask before any reset that might erase Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or cellular configuration.